The invention is in the field of folding personal umbrellas and relates particularly to a handle with a carrying ring which is particularly practical while aesthetically pleasing in appearance.
While in some cases it is desirable to have an open carrying ring at the handle, so that the unbrella can be carried by or secured through the ring, in other cases it may be undesirable to have such an open ring. For example, it may not be comfortable to hold an unbrella with an open carrying ring or such a ring may not present an aesthetically pleasing appearance. A ring which simply pivots between open and closed positions may be helpful, but in order to be practical it must be easy to use, present an aesthetically pleasing appearance, give reliable operation and be easy to manufacture, assemble and use, and this invention is directed to meeting those goals in a particularly advantageous way.
In an exemplary embodiment the invention comprises an umbrella with a handle having a C-shaped carrying ring which pivots between open and closed positions, snap-locks in the closed position, and is substantially concealed when closed but has a portion which extends just beyond the handle outline to facilitate snapping the ring away from its closed position. The handle is elongated and has a round sidewall, and the ring is pivotally secured at its bottom, with the pivot axis parallel to the bottom but offset from the handle axis and near a tangent to the handle circumference. In its closed position the ring is substantially coaxial with the handle and a substantial portion of the outside circumference of the ring arc is substantially flush with the handle sidewall. In the open position, the ring axis is at an angle to the handle axis which can range in absolute value from a few to about 90.degree.. The pivotal connection of the ring to the handle is by means of a pair of oppositely facing wells in the handle which are coaxial with the ring pivot axis and are shaped and dimensioned to receive the free ends of the C-shaped ring such that they can rotate within the wells about the pivot axis as well as move within the wells along the pivot axes. When in its closed position, the ring is partially received within a circumferential groove near the bottom of the handle which is defined in part by a circumferential, radially extending flange at the handle bottom. When the ring is in its closed position, substantially less than its entire arc makes contact with the groove, and substantially less than its entire arc makes contact with the flange when the ring is being moved into or away from its closed position. A portion of the outside arc of the ring extends radially beyond the outline of the handle sidewall so as to provide a convenient surface which can be pushed down to unsnap the ring from its closed position and move it into its open position. The relative dimensions are such that convenient operation is possible while retaining the visual appearance that when closed the ring is substantially flush with the handle sidewall. The combination of convenient operation and desired visual appearance is achieved, in part, by shaping the ring such that one end of its arc is considerably farther from the groove than its other end when the ring is in the closed position.